Panel attaching means



Filed Feb. 8, 1935 AKIV/ m, :Ir:

0 {@Lhhj Patented July 30, 1935 PANEL ATTA cHiNG MEANS Charles vEdward Johnson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Vitrolite Company, a corporation of A West Virginia.

Application February 8 21Claims.

There are many small buildingslvor enclosures of the knock-down type, the members' of'which l tion is to make possiblev abuilding or structure of this type faced with or havingl a wall com-A posed of panels or tiles of structuralglassior other similar materials.

In carrying out my invention, Ifrovidemeans for securely clamping the panels to a suitable supporting frame structure; and, therefore, thein-f ventionmay be regarded, in one of its aspects, as having for its object toproduce asimplea'nd novel means for quickly' attaching panels ,of opaque structural glass or other, material ,to a supporting structure and permitting them to be again quickly and easily detached, if desired.V

The various features of novelty .Wherebywmy invention is characterized. will. hereinafter be pointed out with particularity inthefclaims; but, for a full understanding of my inventionfandof its objects and advantages, referencemay b e had to the following .detailed description taken' in connection with the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is van elevation of a'frag'i'nent of a wall constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a section on a much larger scale, on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the clamping bar and its screws being shown in section; and Fig. l is a perspective view of one of the clamping bars.

Referring to Fig. l, I, I represent parallel bars or beams against which is placed a facing or sheathing composed of panels or tiles 2, 2 placed edge to edge. In the preferred form of the invention, these panels or tiles are clamped to the supporting bars or beams by devices which serve also to connect meeting tiles or panels to prevent them from being displaced relatively to each other, and that, is the construction which I have illustrated. Furthermore, the invention is particularly applicable to the attaching of tiles or panels of opaque structural glass and the like, and I have therefore illustrated the invention as applied to this type of material.

Each tile or panel, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is composed of an outer or facing layer 3 of opaque structural glass or the like, and a backing layer 4 of any suitable strong, tough material, preferably of the fiber board type. Between the members 3 and. 4 is a thick layer of cement 5. The cement does not extend out to the edges that parallel the supporting bars or beams I, I, but terminates a short distance inwardly from each i933, serial No. 655,740 (ci. 18e- 36) s uchfedge, thereby providing each tile or panel with a'deep, narrow groove 6 extending from end to end in each of two opposite edges.

. In assembling the structure, a panelis laid flat against one of the supporting bars or beams with a grooved edge lying just about at the edge of the beam. Afsuitable clamping device, having one element entered in the groove in the panel orrtile, and another part reaching behind the beam, .is thenapplied to clamp the panel and the beam'together. The clamping device has a lip or flange in position to enter the adjacent groove in the next panel so as to`lock that end in place while ythe opposite end is being' clamped to the next supportingV beam. t

' The` supporting bars or beams are conveniently in .the form ofv structural steel members as, for example, channel irons. The clamping devices are Vconver'iiently'made in the form of metal bars, T-shaped in cross section, and somewhat vshorter than the lengths of the panels at jthegrooved edges. The flanges forming the arms of the T are no widerthan thedepthof the grooves in the panels, andthe flanges or webs forming the stem portion of the Tare made wide/enough to project rearwardly beyond'the panels and beyond the edges of the front flanges of the supporting beams which are so placed that the panels engage with the broad faces of the flanges on the beams. The backing layers on the panels must be somewhat vnarrower than thefacing layers so that, when two panels are placed edge to edge, there will be between them a groove T-shaped in cross section, the portion of the groove forming the stem of the T opening out at the'rear face ofthe panels. I Vhave illustrated T-shaped clamping bars in which thevflanges or wings 'I and 8, forming the cross arms of the T, are entered in the grooves in the meeting edges of two panels; the facing layers of the panels being in contact with each other, and the backing layers being spaced far enough apart to permit the flange or web 9, forming the stem of the T, to extend rearwardly between the two separated edges of the backing layers. Extending through each flange or web 9 are a plurality of long set screws I0, conveniently two such screws, which are adapted to engage the rear facev of the flange of the supporting beam `against which one of the panels lies. The set screws and the rear face of the flange I I must make an acute angle with each other so that, as the set screws Y mally the flanges of structural steel beams decrease in thickness from their bases or supported ends to their outer or free ends and, Where the anges are o' this type, the set screws in the clamping device may be parallel with the anges or wings 1 and 8. The channel iron beams illustrated are of the type in which the flanges l I have outer faces parallele toA each (other, whereas1their inner sides or'. faces. converge toward` eachother from the mouth of the trough or channel to the bottom. I have found that, by using beams hav-i. ing flanges of this type, and clamping bars inw.

which the screws are at right angles to the stem flanges or Webs 9, no particular.. pains'neednbe taken to ensure that thez-panel1 in zengagementa.

with the beam lies flat against the same, so that,

When the groove in the next panel is.engaged with.

the projecting flange 8 onthe clamping bar, that panel will be accurately aligned with th'efrstoneir;

The free. .end of this second panel is then clamped to the next supporting beamfor vbar against which it is already lying. flat', in the manner heretofore explained.

' It'vvill thus be seenthat, by pre-forming-the framework, the panels, andthe clamping bars, an entire building o1' enclosure, or a.Wall thereof, or any other Wall, may be quickly assembledV without employing highly skilled labor,v and particularly Without employing skilled labor. inaapplying the vitreous facing or covering to the frame. It will also befseen that the mere act of setting up vthe screws in the clamping bars,l after the bars .have been inserted inthe'groovesf of the panels or tiles which they are to clamp against their underlying bars, ,causesthe panels ortiles, tobe accurately located ,and providesl interlocking means to. en-V` gage with immediately succeeding `panels or tiles and :hold them accurately in alignment With Athe panels or tiles thathave already beenclamped in place,v andwith their far, o'r `free-ends lying flat against the bars to'which they in turn are to be clamped. When-a vwall orotherj'structure is tov be dismantled, the screws of the clamping devices are -v simply loosened, releasingthepanels or tiles so no cutting, drilling, or puncturing the panels or tiles. or likelihood of any other damage being done to the same in setting up a wall or other structure or in taking it down, the panels or tiles may be used over and over again.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, Iwdonot desire to be limited to the exactstuctural details-thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and ar- :arangements which come within the definitions of .my invention constituting the appended claims.

1;.In `combination, a supporting bar, a panel -havingnnel of itsbroad faces resting against the front faf'ot-,the .supporting bar along one edge oftheV panel. the,panel having in said edge a longitudinal groove, a clamping bar T-shaped in crossf'se'ction almost as long as the panel having one cross flange fitting in said groove and the stem'angeror'fweb *extending rearwardly past the supporting bar; and screws' extending' through therearwardlyv extending flange or web ofthe clamping-'bar'in such a direction and at such point'slthereinfas to cause the clamping barato clamp'the panel tightly to the supporting bar .when thescrewsl are screwed in. I

v2. In combination, two panels arranged edge to edgeandihaving. their edge faces so shaped that they form'wlthzeach' other a slot T-shaped in cross' section"v the stem portion of ywhich opens out' through the plane of theA rear faces ofthe panels, a metal beam in rear of said panels having a flangeresting against the rear face of one o'f the panelsjust beside and parallel withl said slot, 'arbar T.shaped in cross lsection engaged in said slot; the 'stemofsa'id bar extending rearwardly.v through the stem portiony of the slot and past theiedge of saidilange, and a plurality of screws passing through the rearwardly-project'- ing.. portion' of said barbehind and close to said flange and"extending. generally in the direction of the' plane of the rear faces'of said panels.

CHARLES EDWARD JOHNSON. 4/8 

